TO Bumps in the Road
by klayleyloverforever
Summary: Vanessa Merino is a trained psychiatrist with a PhD and has a lot of experience dealing with people who have extreme mental illnesses and psychologically evaluating maniacs and psychopaths who have been declared criminally insane. One day, while researching the lunatics at the asylum, she becomes particularly fascinated with inmate Niklaus Mikaelson.


**The Originals: Bumps in the Road**

**Chapter One**

**Vanessa's Apartment – Early Morning **

Vanessa opened her eyes and laid there for a moment. She was really tired and down for some reason. She wanted to take a day off but she knew her patients needed her. She turned to her side and stared at the empty spot next to her. It has been a while since her ex-fiancé Jackson had left her, but she still missed him. She fingered the empty space on the bed and wondered when will she get over it or when will she get used to it. She sighed and turned around to see her alarm clock and realized that she had woken up early again. She still had thirty minutes to her waking time. At first she wanted to continue to lay there but then on second thought she got up and dragged herself into the bathroom.

Standing under the cold shower made all her senses wake up. After changing into a red skirt that reached her knees and a black dress shirt she went to the small kitchen and put coffee on the pot. She sat near the window sipping her coffee with the feet tucked underneath her thinking of her regular patients and wondering how she can help them today. She put on some light make up and after putting on her most comfortable medium high black heels she decided to leave early today. She had decided to sit in her office and used that extra time to go through her files of her patients again and see if she had missed anything.

She locked the door of her apartment and left the house.

**New Orleans Asylum**

Vanessa entered the building and nodded at the secretary at the front desk and headed towards the elevator. When the elevator stopped at the third floor she got out and saw her best friend and college classmate Camille O'Connell sitting at her desk. Everyone called her Cami for short.

Vanessa: *smiles* Hello, Cami. What are you doing here so early?

Cami: I just couldn't sleep last night. I was too hot and my apartment's air-conditioning was not working so I thought why not come and use the air-conditioning here.

Vanessa: *laughs* Yes, why not?!

Cami looked at her face and could tell something was on Vanessa's mind.

Cami: You look tired. Still thinking of Jackson?

Vanessa nodded.

Cami: Forget about him, Vanessa. He was a jerk. He didn't think of you before taking up that opportunity. You are better off him. I am telling you. And you will find someone much better than him.

Vanessa: *smiles* You are a really good friend, you know.

Cami: No seriously, you are beautiful, smart and a doctor.

Vanessa: Yes, a doctor. The moment men find out that I am a psychiatrist, they don't ask me out again. You know how their mind works. They think that psychiatrists are doing psycho-analysis all the time like we don't have anything else to do.

She couldn't help but hear the bitterness in her voice.

Cami: You are not just a psychiatrist. You are _the_ psychiatrist, the best of the best and the one who everyone loves.

She said in a consoling voice.

Vanessa: *takes a deep breath* I was thinking I want to go through my files before I see my patients so I will be going. Meet me for lunch in my office.

Cami nodded and went towards her office. Vanessa entered her elegantly set office and went to sit on her chair behind the desk.

She took a deep breath and took out a couple of files from her files and then selected the top one and started to read it. She started typing notes on the files of the patients she had kept in her laptop. She got so absorbed that she lost track of time. Her wrist watch beeped bringing her to the present. She closed the files and laptop with a sigh and got up to face her patients.

**New Orleans Asylum – Hallway **

Vanessa walked down the long corridor stopping occasionally in front of glass panels looking at her patients. She wanted to observe them all first and then walk to the ones she had an appointment with today. She was passing by one cell when the man with long hair suddenly ran to the glass panel and hit it with force startling her. She gained her composure and walked to the glass panel and stood there folding her arms when the man ran into the glass panel again. She folded her arms and dragged the seat in front of him and sat down on it.

As Vanessa saw he did that twice and then slid on the floor listless. She opened her file and wrote down "_Today it was just four times. An improvement from last week when he was doing it six times"_. She put on her headphones and pressed the button on the wall so she could speak to him.

Vanessa: Alex, how are you feeling today?

Alex: They are coming back today.

Vanessa: Who?

She asked him gently.

Alex: *incoherently* The aliens. They are blue in color this time. I have to get out of this room. I tried to break the door but I couldn't. I can't save these two women. I have to. Can you help us?

Vanessa: Yes, definitely. I will help you.

She sat opposite him when he got up again and went to the corner of the room away from Vanessa.

Alex: *angrily* You are patronizing me. You will not help me. You will just listen to me and then say that gibberish that you always say. Now go. I don't want to talk to you today. Go, my friends from planet Zambee are coming to visit me and I don't want them to see a women in a white dress talking to me. Go, go, go, go….

He kept on saying that until Vanessa stood up from her chair.

Vanessa: Okay Alex, I will come back when your friends have gone back to Zambee.

Alex then darted towards the glass wall as Vanessa tried not to be freaked out. She had been treating him for a long time after all. She had gotten used to it by now.

Alex: Ha, I knew you were patronizing me. The planet's name is Zimba, not Zambee.

Vanessa smiled helplessly and patiently at Alex.

Vanessa: Oh okay. Sorry about the confusion. Maybe you can tell me about their visit tomorrow.

And then she turned around and stopped as she saw a man sitting at the corner of room opposite Alex. He was looking at her with vacant eyes. There was this curious smile on his face. She walked towards his room and stopped right in front of him. He didn't look at her. She noticed his gaze fixed on Alex and then he picked up his book and started to read. Vanessa tried to peek the title and was impressed to read _Fifty Shades of Grey_.

She turned around as another man stopped by his ward and pressed the intercom on the wall.

John: Hello, Klaus.

Vanessa stepped back as the man inside the ward looked up and smiled at John. As she saw he got up and walked to the glass case and walked over to John, the librarian of the hospital.

Klaus: John, thanks for bringing this one. You were right, it is great.

John: I told you, man. I have another one for you here. You will like it. If you have read that one, I will take that back.

He said still speaking through the intercom.

Klaus pushed the book out of the small cat door on the glass and took the other one. He didn't look at Vanessa once. He smiled at the title and then went to sit back in the same corner and started to read it.

Vanessa then resumed her attention on John.

John: Hello, Dr. Merino. How do you do?

Vanessa: I'm good, John. How is your library shift going? You liking it better than cafeterias?

John: Yes.

Then he glanced and gave Klaus one last look.

John: I have to go now. I will see you around.

As he walked away, Vanessa stood there wondering if Klaus will look at her or not but when he didn't she walked away.

Klaus looked up as he saw her walking away from his ward and smiled.

Vanessa spend rest of her day with her patients but her mind kept going back to Klaus and wondered _'Who is he and what is wrong with him?'_

**New Orleans Asylum – Vanessa's Office – Afternoon **

In the afternoon Vanessa was sitting in her office when the door opened and Cami entered.

Cami: How was your round?

Vanessa: It was good. I had some progress with Alex.

She was quiet for one second.

Vanessa: I saw a new patient there, Klaus something. He is in the room opposite to Alex. Is he yours?

Cami: Oh Niklaus Mikaelson. He insists on being called Klaus. But he's Kieran's.

She said while opening her lunch box.

Vanessa: Niklaus Mikaelson…hmm a mouth full. Do you know what is wrong with him?

Cami: No, O'Connell doesn't like to discuss about him, but I believe that he has been there for two weeks now.

Vanessa: Really? I didn't notice him before.

Cami: He wasn't in high security wards before. He is a new transfer there.

There was silence for a few moments. She could tell what Vanessa was thinking.

Cami: Vanessa, you already have a case load. Why are you interested in him?

Vanessa: There is something about him that intrigued me today.

She said as she took out her salad.

Cami: Hmm.

She said as she took a bite of her sandwich.

After that they discussed about topics other than their patients but Vanessa's mind was still on Niklaus Mikaelson. The smile on his face when he had seen John and that book had touched her heart. There was this need to help him but …. she was startled when Cami snapped her out of it.

Cami: You're still thinking about him, right?

Vanessa didn't respond.

Cami: You know, I bet he doesn't even think about you. He is happy in his life. You should be too.

Vanessa: *confused* Who?

Cami: Jackson! Who else, Elliot Jones?!

Vanessa laughed at her outburst.

Vanessa: I think you're right.

She packed her left over salad in the lunch box and ready to get back to work.

Vanessa: Okay, I will see you before I leave for home.

**New Orleans Asylum – Vanessa's Office – Sometime later on in the day **

She sat there in her chair for a few minutes thinking about her evening sessions with her patients but her mind was still thinking about Niklaus Mikaelson.

Her evening sessions went smoothly with her patients. Listening to their problems always put prospective to her problems which were nothing as compared to theirs. On one had she felt bad for them but on the other hand she felt relieved that her life was not as messed up as theirs.

After her last session. She got up and left for home.

She slept very badly that night. For the first time ever since Jackson had left her, it was not him that was making her restless; it was Niklaus Mikaelson's eyes and his smile.

**A Few Days Later **

For the next few days whenever Vanessa took a round she would stop for a minute or two in front of his ward during which he would totally ignore her. The only person she saw him interacting with was John.

On the fourth day she and a lighter afternoon, she sat in her office chair thinking about Niklaus Mikaelson and then got up and left her office.

**New Orleans Asylum – Francesca's Office – Middle of the day **

She knocked at Dr. Francesca Correa's office and entered. Dr. Francesca was a middle age lady who was sweet and kind and she was the head of department of psychiatry. She had published many journals and was renowned in her field.

Francesca: *smiles* How are you, Vanessa?

Vanessa: *smiles* I'm good. I wanted to ask you a favor.

She said as she took a seat.

Francesca Correa leaned back in her chair.

Francesca: What, Vanessa?

Vanessa: There is a new patient in high security ward, Niklaus Mikaelson. He is Kieran O'Connell's patient. I want to observe him.

Francesca: Vanessa, he is trouble as per his father. I think you should reconsider.

Vanessa: If he is trouble then I want to help him. I don't want steal him away from O'Connell. Just observe him.

Francesca looked at Vanessa for a moment.

Francesca: You are really good in your field. My number one in dealing with clinically depressed and special patients. I have a high place of you in my heart. If anyone besides O'Connell can help him, I believe it will be you.

Vanessa: *smiles* Thank you for such kind words. So what do you say?

Francesca observed Vanessa for a minute and thought about it.

Francesca: Okay. But O'Connell will mentor you in that case. You will never deal with him alone. O'Connell have to be with you all the time.

Vanessa: *smiles* Sure.

She said as she got up.

Vanessa: Thank you.

Francesca: I will tell O'Connell. He will be pleased to have you back in his team. He really admires you.

Vanessa: Yes, he is a great teacher. What I am today is because of him.

She then nodded and left the room.

**New Orleans Asylum – Morning **

Next morning, when she was getting ready, she was really excited and then she realized that she was happy because of the prospect of seeing him and getting to know him.

She looked down and realized that she was wearing one of her favorite dresses. She slipped on her comfortable pumps and left the apartment. As she entered her floor, Cami looked up at her.

Cami: You look happy today and you are way early today.

Vanessa: *smiles* Yes, I am doing my rounds with O'Connell today.

As she started to walk away, Cami stopped her by grabbing her hand.

Cami: You got him?!

Vanessa smiled and squeezed her hand and walked away.

She went to her office and looked at her notes and waited anxiously for O'Connell to come.

**New Orleans Asylum – Vanessa's Office **

At around 8:00, there was a knock on her door and Dr. Kieran O'Connell peeked in and entered her room.

Vanessa: *smiles* Oh my god, it is so good to see you again Kieran. I missed you.

Dr. Kieran O'Connell was a middle age man with a smiling face. His hair were getting white but he looked as young as he looked seven years ago when Vanessa had first met him. He had been like a second father to her all her academic life. He walked in and hugged her.

Kieran: Good to have you back in my team again, Vanessa. I have not met a brighter student than you.

Vanessa: *laughs* You will. Someday you will.

Kieran: Ready to see him? Francesca told me about your interest in my patient. I just want to tell you that he is really depressed and had a breakdown a couple of months ago. And don't call him by his full name. He wants to be called Klaus instead of Niklaus Mikaelson.

Vanessa nodded and then followed O'Connell down the hall to the patient wards with her laptop in her hands.

**New Orleans Asylum – Hallway **

She passed the wards of her patients glancing them casually. Some were still asleep whereas some were sitting on the floor doing god knows what. The ones who were awake walked to the glass wall as they saw her coming and banged on the door drawing her attention. She smiled at them and walked by them after waving at them. She stopped in front of his room and saw that he was lying on the bed looking at the ceiling. She dragged the chair next to O'Connell. She put on her headphones and plugged them in the socket in the wall along with O'Connell's.

Klaus: I am not in a mood today, O'Connell.

He said without looking at them.

Kieran looked at Vanessa and then back at Klaus.

Kieran: And why is that?

Klaus: Let me ask you something. Have I made any progress?

He asked in a brooding voice.

Kieran: *smiles* Of course you have.

Klaus: *laughs* You are a terrible liar O'Connell.

Kieran: How did you guess that I am lying?

Vanessa looked at Kieran in surprise wondering _'Why did he say guess instead of say?'_, but his focus was on Klaus.

Klaus: O'Connell, I am guessing because I know there is nothing wrong with me and you know it too.

Kieran smiled at Vanessa's questioning glance and resumed back to Klaus.

Kieran: What has that got to do with my lying?

Klaus: If there is nothing wrong with me then how can I get better?

Kieran: You think trying to kill yourself out of depression is not wrong?

He asked him patiently.

Klaus: It is my life…

He said with annoyance as he sat up and then stopped as he saw Vanessa sitting next to Kieran. He steered his eyes away from Vanessa and looked at Kieran.

Kieran: As you can see we have a guest here with us today. This is Dr. Vanessa Merino. She is a fellow colleague and she is helping me with my cases.

Klaus was quiet for a second.

Klaus: Why do you want to fix me, O'Connell?

Kieran: Because there are people who still care about you.

Klaus took a deep breath and sighed.

Klaus: Tell him to stop caring about me.

Kieran: And what do I tell her?

Klaus didn't answer and went to lie again on his bed.

Klaus: Do you think that me having alive every day is a reminder to them about how screwed up our lives are?

Kieran: Maybe, but that does not stop them from loving you, does it?

Klaus: Why do people drowning hold on to something which is taking them down too?

Kieran looked at Vanessa who was looking at Klaus with an impressed expression on her face.

Kieran: Perhaps because they believe that that someone will help them float.

Klaus: *laughs* Not someone, O'Connell. Something.

Kieran: *smiles* Do you see yourself as a thing, Klaus?

He didn't answer for a while.

Klaus: I am tired now.

He then turned towards them and turned his attention to Vanessa.

Klaus: Dr. Merino, what do you think? Do you think a drowning man should be helped?

Vanessa was so lost in looking at him that she was taken aback by his question. She cleared her throat.

Vanessa: Depends on many things.

Klaus: Like what?

Vanessa: Like how much you care about that person and how much empathy you have as a human being.

Klaus looked at her for a moment.

Klaus: Will you save a drowning man, Dr. Merino?

Vanessa: Yes.

Klaus: Then you will drown, too.

He said with bitterness and went to lie on his bed.

Klaus: I will see you tomorrow Dr. O'Connell.

Then he closed his eyes and was asleep.

Kieran looked at Vanessa and nodded.

Kieran: Okay Klaus, I will go now and you can rest. John will come in a couple of hours with your new book.

He took off his headphones and put them in his bag and got up with Vanessa. As they both walked away from the room Klaus opened his eyes and saw them walking away from him.

**New Orleans Asylum – Vanessa's Office **

Vanessa and O'Connell walked towards her office. They continued their discussion about Klaus.

Vanessa: What is wrong with him?

Kieran: I will send you all of his details so that you can get on top of things and then you can tell me what you think.

They parted their ways at her office.

Vanessa sat in her office and opened the files of her patients and studied them before she was supposed to start her rounds. She pushed Klaus at the back of her mind so that she can concentrate on her patients.

She stopped at Alex's room but he was sleeping. She turned towards the orderly to see what was going on.

Vanessa: Why is he sleeping today?

Orderly: He had a rough night today. Turns out that he had not taken his medicines so just gave him one. He is sleeping under the affect.

Vanessa nodded and then had a weird sensation. She turned around towards Klaus's room but he was not looking at her. He was looking down intently at his book. Vanessa walked away from his room.

Klaus saw her walking away from the corner of his eye and looked up just in time to see her disappear from his sight.

**A Few Days Later **

For the next couple of days Vanessa visited Klaus with O'Connell. She had studied all the details about him from the notes O'Connell had send her. In the beginning ninety percent of the time he would talk with O'Connell glancing at her occasionally. By the third day he had started to include her in their conversation too. At first it was just one sentence in a thirty minute session but by the fourth day there were three to four sentences. She was starting to get to know him.

Vanessa: If Elijah were in here instead of you, would you have let him drown?

Klaus looked at her with annoyance upon hearing the question.

Klaus: Why would Elijah be in this place?

Vanessa: If?

Klaus: Depends on how screwed up he is.

Vanessa: *smiles* If he is as much as you are?

Klaus looked at O'Connell who smiled at him and then back at Vanessa.

Klaus: You mean if he tried to kill himself too?

Vanessa: Yes.

Klaus didn't answer at once but then said

Klaus: But why would he do that?

Vanessa: *softly* Are you avoiding the topic?

Klaus: I am tired. I don't want to talk anymore.

He said with annoyance.

Vanessa opened her mouth to say something when O'Connell stepped in.

Kieran: Tell me Klaus, why not gun?

Vanessa looked at O'Connell in shock but his attention was focused on Klaus.

Klaus sat up again and looked at O'Connell.

Klaus: *sarcastically* Because gun would have been messier. Imagine my mother walking in and seeing all that brain on the wall.

Kieran: And what you tried to do was…

Klaus: *smirking* Less messier.

Vanessa felt O'Connell shift in his seat and leaned in.

Kieran: How so?

Klaus: One cut and you are done.

Now she was sure that O'Connell was looking tense.

Kieran: But that would have made the room messy. The carpet, the floor.

Vanessa looked at O'Connell and then it hit her and she looked at Klaus who was also growing more annoyed at the questions being asked to him.

Klaus: *bitterly* Better than cleaning brain tissues.

He paused for a moment.

Klaus: I want to be left alone now.

O'Connell sat there looking at him as he laid down on his bed reading his book now and put the head phones down. He looked at Vanessa who was looking confused too. She cleared her throat.

Vanessa: Okay Klaus, I will see you tomorrow.

They both walked out of the high security area and as they walked down the hallway, more questions came to Vanessa's and she decided to ask Kieran everything possible he had known about Klaus' case.

Vanessa: Has your patient ever forgotten how they tried to kill themselves?

Kieran: No, this is something they don't forget.

Vanessa: Didn't his father say that he overdosed?

Kieran: Yes, his father admitted him here a year ago. He was the one who claimed that he found pills bottles in his room and that he took him to the doctor's office and got his stomach cleaned up.

Vanessa: How can Klaus forget that?

Kieran: I don't know. He had never recanted from that story before. He had stuck with it ever since he had moved in. But then again I never asked him a trick question because seeing what he went through I never doubted that he had not tried to take his life.

Vanessa: His father! Have you met him?

Kieran: No, I have never met him. All I know of him is from Klaus. His brother and mother used to visit him when he was in less security area and then three weeks back we found some pills in his room, which he shouldn't have. We thought that he tried to kill himself again so we put him in the high security area.

Vanessa: Yes I read that in the notes you send him. Have you ever asked him about those pills?

Kieran: Yes and he admits to that.

Vanessa: I would like to talk to him about that tomorrow if you let me.

Kieran: Of course you can talk to him, but what are you thinking?

Vanessa: I can't say anything for sure. I will share with your tomorrow.

For the rest of the day, she cleared her mind from Klaus that day and paid attention to her patients. All night she kept on thinking about a strategy about how to get information from him. He was way too closed up than she had ever seen a patient to be. If Kieran had not helped her, she wouldn't have known things about him.

**The Next Day – Morning **

Next day she quickly changed, grabbed a cup of coffee and left for her office. She greeted Cami absentmindedly and went to her office and studied the report provided to her by Kieran about Klaus trying to commit suicide again in the hospital.

She was looking at Klaus through the glass window with Kieran sitting next to him. Klaus looked up suddenly and caught her looking at him. He smiled making her heart flutter. She cursed herself for feeling that way about a patient. She entered the ward and joined Kieran in the session.

Vanessa: I want to talk to you about your brother Elijah. And about the thing we were discussing yesterday.

The smile slipped from Klaus' face.

Klaus: Elijah will never land in this place.

Vanessa: Why not?

Klaus: Why would he? He would never try to kill himself. He doesn't need to.

Vanessa: *leaning back* Why do you think taking pills make death seem less painful?

Klaus: Who said death is less painful?! I think stabbing yourself to death at least once is less painful. You injure yourself and it ends right and there.

Vanessa smiled even though her heart was beating at a rapid speed.

Vanessa: Yes, I can see that. Except for the mess it makes, it is quick.

Klaus nodded and then looked at Kieran.

Klaus: What do you say, O'Connell? If you have to kill yourself what would you use?

Kieran: *smiling* That is an interesting question. Let me think.

Klaus: *laughs* If you have to think then that means you never thought about killing yourself!

Kieran: No, I haven't but that doesn't mean that I can't consider your scenario. Strangely when I think about it, I am inclined to believe in you. It also depends on where I am.

Klaus: What do you mean?

He asked as he straightened up.

O'Connell looked at Vanessa and then back at Klaus.

Kieran: If I don't have access to a knife or a gun what would I do.

Klaus: Improvise.

Vanessa: Hmm. Let's say you are in here and you want to kill yourself, what would you do?

Klaus stared at Vanessa and then started to laugh humorlessly.

Klaus: *sarcastically* Okay, let's play this game. Get a hand on some pills, maybe.

Vanessa: But how can you do that?

Klaus suddenly became angry and annoyed.

Klaus: *angrily* An orderly willing to put me out of my misery.

Vanessa: And when will you take it?

Klaus: *angrily* At night time when no one notices me.

Vanessa nodded her head and keeping the notes from the file in her mind another question came up.

Vanessa: I wonder why would you wait for the pills to be discovered if you wanted to kill yourself?

Klaus suddenly stood up and walked to her angrily.

Klaus: What are you trying to do?

Kieran: I think we are done here.

He said standing up from his chair.

Klaus looked at O'Connell very seriously.

Klaus: *irritated* I don't want to see her again. If she comes tomorrow, I am not seeing you too.

Kieran: Alright. I will see what I can do.

He got up with sinking heart and looked at Vanessa who had a curious smile on her face.

As they were walking down the hallway she said to him

Vanessa: As I suspected, I have reasons to believe that he never tried to kill himself. If he had he would've taken the pills before the inspection and killed himself at night. First he slipped about how he tried to kill himself at home and now this. You heard him what he said about his mother finding his body and how hurt she would've felt. A person with this much empathy for another can't kill himself in the same house in which his mother is living. I think something is going on here. I can see him depressed from what he had gone through, but not suicidal. He doesn't belong in there. Kieran, you can feel it right?

Kieran: *nodding* Yes, I think we need to look into this matter. Let me check who was on duty that night and let me get in contact with the doctor who cleaned his stomach as per his father.

They both parted ways. Vanessa was now feeling excited and upset at the same time at the prospect of seeing Klaus as a just a depressed person trapped in this mental hospital under false pretense for a year now. Something in her gut was telling her that he might be depressed but he didn't belong in this place.

For the rest of the day, she had patients to see so she switched her mind from Klaus's problems and concentrated on her patients. By the time it was evening she was dead tired and frustrated at the remission of one of her patients. When she reached home, she took off her shoes and sat on the sofa after pouring herself a glass of wine.

She picked up her cell and called O'Connell. The call connected on the third ring.

Vanessa: I just got home and I am looking at his file and I was wondering if you ever talked to the doctor who cleaned his stomach when he tried to kill himself the first time?

Kieran: Yes, I did. I am going to talk to him again tomorrow.

Vanessa: And I will follow up with the orderly who found the pills in his room. I'm going to bed now. I hope we are right about him. It would be a shame if he is innocent and in this hospital for that depression.

Kieran: And come to think of it, he spent a year in it already. I don't know why he didn't deny anything before.

Vanessa: You know how people like him think. He probably was feeling sorry for himself. But I hope we can fix this mistake.

After putting the cell, she went to change her clothes and sleep.

**The Next Day – Morning **

Next morning she reached her office early and went through Klaus's file and contacted the administration.

Vanessa: I need to talk to James Emil.

After a while, the lady on the other end got back to her.

Administrator: He has left the job, Dr. Merino.

Vanessa: *standing up* When?

Administrator: On January 10th this year. He just left. One day he was praising his job and the next day he just quit.

Vanessa: Is there anyone who can tell me where he is working at right now?

Administrator: His friend, Alex can tell you. He is on a break. I can send him to your office.

Vanessa: Thank you.

She hung up.

Ten minutes later a young boy came into her office.

Vanessa: Do you know anything about James Emil?

Alex: Dr. Merino, he won a lottery in January and didn't want to work anymore so he quit. He does nothing these days.

Vanessa: Okay, thank you.

After Alex left, Vanessa sat there absorbing this new piece of information. Her sixth sense was telling her that something fishy was going on. She thought it can't be a coincidence that they day he found medicines in Klaus's cell, the very next day he would leave. She wanted to share her suspicions with O'Connell but he was not here yet so she waited for him impatiently.

She met O'Connell at Klaus's cell as he was running late. Klaus refused to talk to O'Connell and Vanessa. He turned his face towards the wall and refused to look at them. O'Connell and Vanessa exchanged glances.

Kieran: Will you talk to me if Dr. Merino leaves?

Klaus: No, I am not in a mood today. I need to see Elijah.

He said without looking at them.

Kieran: You know that you can't meet Elijah until you are in this section of the facility.

Klaus: Then I don't want to talk to anyone. Go away.

Vanessa put her head phones down and got up followed immediately by O'Connell.

As they were walking towards her room, she told O'Connell about her past. O'Connell seemed interested in what she told him.

Kieran. That's interesting. Let me check on that doctor after my rounds and get back to you.

Vanessa got busy with her patients afterwards but her mind was still confused about Klaus and the new development. Around noon she got a call from O'Connell.

Kieran: Vanessa, you will not believe it. Dr. Pike was let go from that clinic because he was caught writing false reports about his patients and guess whose name was in the list compiled by the staff of "Mercy General"?

Vanessa: Niklaus Mikaelson.

She said with a sinking heart.

Kieran: Bingo.

Vanessa: *excitedly* So that means he never tried to commit suicide!

Kieran: Yes, it seems like it. I am going to talk to Francesca to release him. And I am thinking that you should follow up his case.

Vanessa: Me?!

Kieran: Yes, you. You deserve him after what you have done for him. Good job. I want you to come to Francesca's office now. I don't want to postpone it.

O'Connell then disconnected the call.

Vanessa got up excitedly, but at the same time feeling a dread in her heart wondering what if they are wrong and Klaus is a danger to himself. But she made a decision that she will help him at all possible costs.

**Francesca's Office – Afternoon **

When Vanessa entered Francesca's office in 10 minutes O'Connell was already sitting there. They both told Francesca about their finds. At first she was shocked and then she demanded proof which Vanessa and O'Connell showed her. After looking at them for a while, she turned back to Vanessa and O'Connell.

Francesca: That is such a big game that has been played with him. I will make sure James is caught for this. But O'Connell he does have a problem, right?

Kieran: Yes, he does. That's why I don't think he should be freed. I think he should be a patient here, but not a psychotic patient rather than a person having a breakdown and should be treated for his depression and his issues. For that I think Vanessa should be great.

Francesca looked over at Vanessa.

Francesca: Can you handle him?

Vanessa: *smiles* Absolutely.

Francesca thought for a moment and then said

Francesca" Okay. I will have to call his family to let him know what has happened. I see his father's hand behind all of this.

Vanessa looked at O'Connell agreeing with Francesca.

Vanessa: Yes, I think so too.

Francesca: Okay then. We are done here.

Vanessa and O'Connell left the office. As soon as they were out, Vanessa hugged O'Connell.

Vanessa: Thank you for doing this for me and him.

She release herself from him.

Vanessa: I will not disappoint you.

Kieran: *smiles* Yes, I know. If I doubted that do you think I would have given you this case?

He then turned and left Vanessa standing there happy.


End file.
